Frazer Harrison/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — As television series revisit problematic content and remove instances of material deemed racist, Lionsgate has announced that it will not delete an episode of Mad Men that contains blackface.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the season three episode “My Old Kentucky Home” will remain available for viewing in its entirety because of the historical context behind it.
Instead of editing out the scene where John Slattery’s Roger Sterling smears black shoe polish on his face in an attempt to score romantic points with Peyton List’s Jane at a country club Derby party, the episode will contain a disclaimer.
“This episode contains disturbing images related to race in America,” the intro card will read. “One of the characters is shown in blackface as part of an episode that shows how commonplace racism was in America in 1963.”
Lionsgate issued a statement regarding its decision, saying, “In its reliance on historical authenticity, the series producers are committed to exposing the injustices and inequities within our society that continue to this day so we can examine even the most painful parts of our history in order to reflect on who we are today and who we want to become. We are therefore presenting the original episode in its entirety.”
Other series have opted to edit out scenes or remove episodes containing blackface, such as The Golden Girls, Scrubs, Community and others.
As previously reported, Mad Men has left Netflix and will now be shown on Amazon-owned IMDb TV starting July 15. The series will then move to the AMC in the fall.
Mad Men aired its final episode in 2015 after a seven season run. The series collected 16 Emmys, four of which were consecutive best drama series wins.
By Megan Stone
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